Cockroaches are one of the most common pests found in households all over America. Even if your house is clean and there isn’t any food around, cockroaches can still show up!
You might not know this, but roaches can also infest your car when stored in an infested garage. So be careful next time you have some creepy crawlers as unwanted passengers!
How do roaches get in your car, though? Check out our tips to learn how to get rid of roaches in car trunks and interiors, and how they get there in the first place.
Whenever you need interior or exterior roach treatments for your home or business, Recon Pest Services can help! Servicing the greater Omaha and Lincoln areas, we can treat any common pest. Contact us today to learn more.
How Do Roaches Get in Your Car?
How did these pests get into your car in the first place? Aside from the occasional fly, wasp, or bee, insects will not typically enter your automobile and will instead choose areas with plenty of food and water.
However, there are a few ways roaches can squirm their way into your car! Cars packed with unclean rubbish or crumbs might attract roaches and other insects. Any stray packaging, opened food packages, or sticky spills might entice roaches to enter your vehicle since these pests search for their meals regularly.
It’s easy to overlook a fast food bag in your car, but if you do, you risk attracting cockroaches. These bugs may enter your vehicle on deliveries, furniture, bags, electronics, or clothes – particularly if they’ve been kept in a roach-infested spot in your home.
Roaches can spread from your garage to your car, where they may forage for food and cool, dark space to reproduce. While a herd of roaches might not set up residence in your automobile’s interior, you could run into recurrent challenges as more pests migrate out in search of food. Additionally, a large amount of roaches in your car probably means there is a lot more nearby, so check your home and garage thoroughly.
How to Get Rid of Roaches in Your Car
You’ll want to eliminate these pests from your car as soon as possible when they invade! In addition to being unsightly, roaches can spread harmful bacteria around. Plus, who wants to be surprised by a roach while driving?
The easiest way to get rid of roaches in car interiors is to clean up any messes. Throw away discarded food wrappers, chip bags, and candy. If you have any uncovered food left behind in your car, toss that in the trash too! Check for any sticky residue from spilled pop and frappuccinos and clean it up with a wet wipe!
Be sure to check under and in between your seats for any unnoticed garbage. Cockroaches are persistent pests and will go to great lengths to secure a good meal.
After disposing of the waste, consider cleaning the interior of your car! For many vehicles with carpeted flooring, the course fabric will easily catch and hold on to stubborn food debris.
A vacuum cleaner can quickly and easily remove crumbs, dust, and debris. You can use it on the floorboards, between seats, and under seats. If you have car mats, you should remove them before vacuuming or rinsing the area. Vacuum your car regularly to make sure any residues from food are permanently unwelcome in your vehicle.
Any stubborn spills or messes stuck to your car’s interior can be quickly cleaned with a washcloth, soap, and water. Lysol wipes are also quite useful here, as they can also disinfect areas where pests have been. To preserve the electronic integrity of your radio or car’s heating and cooling system, avoid using corrosive cleaners on them.
How to Get Rid of Roaches in Car Trunks
Cockroaches can also infest your vehicle’s trunk, even if they are most often found in the main portion of the car! Cockroaches may have taken control of this region if you’ve recently carried items contaminated with pests in your trunk or backseat.
First, remove the infested object to ensure these pests won’t spread to other spots in your vehicle. Instead of leaving this in your garage or outdoors, place the item in a sealed plastic bag or container to keep these pests controlled. Make sure there is no food or plant residue in your trunk
A small number of cockroaches can easily be removed with a vacuum cleaner as long as the nozzle is big enough. If there are too many roaches for that to be effective, then stronger methods may be required.
Clean Out Your Garage!
Garbage, canned foods, packaged products, and freezers may attract roaches. Cockroaches may even come to your garage to eat cardboard depending on their hunger. If you use your garage to store food, this is the first place you’ll want to check.
If you keep pet food or plant seed stored in your garage, place these items in tamper-proof containers to keep the pests away. Bird seeds and animal feed (like corn for horses or deer) can also attract pests. Cockroaches aren’t picky about their next meal and will chow on almost anything left out!
Avoid leaving trash bags or unsealed trash cans in your garage; roaches could quickly populate the area and even crawl into your car.
Also, consider storing your food indoors within a pantry. According to Pennsylvania State University’s extension program, storing food outside in garage areas could compromise the integrity of your groceries and encourage outdoor pests.
How to Get Rid of Roaches in Your Car
Removing roach attractants can keep these pests at bay, but you’ll need to try other methods to eliminate them. Follow these tips to know how to get rid of roaches in car and garage areas!
Sticky traps are ineffective in eradicating large populations of roaches, but if there are only a handful of roaches it can probably help. This method can work best in conjunction with other pest control solutions!
To eliminate the pests plaguing your vehicle, consider using a pest exterminating substance like diatomaceous earth or borax. Food-grade diatomaceous earth can obliterate an insect’s exoskeleton and trigger it to dehydrate. This nontoxic choice is ideal for parents or pet-owners who transport their kids or animals in their car frequently.
Cockroaches can be stunned by boric acid, and it will fatally dehydrate them. Their nervous systems are also targeted with the substance, which causes them to lose control of their legs. The only issue is that Borax powder could be harmful if eaten or breathed in deeply, so keep it away from children and make sure you air your car out thoroughly after use.
We urge you to avoid using any toxic chemicals, as other baits and pesticides might work just as well. Furthermore, constant exposure to harsh chemicals could potentially damage your car or make you sick. Unless you’re rocking a convertible, cars are relatively airtight, so you might hurt yourself or your family if the car isn’t aired out properly.
Bug bombs are a terrible way to get roaches (or any insects) out of your car. Not only can the fumes stain your seats, but the aerosol solution could become a fire hazard. Keep in mind, that traditional gas cars do have combustion engines, so any lingering fumes while you start the car could cause a fire!
Using certain DIY methods to solve your pest problem that can backfire. Always exercise caution when attempting DIY solutions for your pest issue, and contact a professional for advice! But if you’re still unsure how to get rid of roaches in car trunks or interior spaces, we may assist you!
If cockroaches in your garage or home are sneaking into your car, call proof. pest control! We can locate these pesky insects and eliminate them after two services. Contact us today to learn more!
